The present invention relates generally to conferencing systems.
Conferences supported by conferencing systems often include multiple participants. Such participants may include persons who are “principals,” or persons whose comments during the conferences may be considered to be particularly important. For example, the highest ranking person present on a conference call may be considered to be a principal, or a specialist in a particular area being discussed on a conference call may be considered to be a principal. Typically, comments made by a principal are considered particularly important because of the authority, understanding, and/or content underlying such comments.
When there are many participants in a conference call, it may become difficult to differentiate between different participants or speakers. During a live conference call, a listener may be unable to determine whether a particular voice belongs to a principal participant or someone else, as many voices may sound similar. Likewise, during a playback or review of a recording of the conference, a listener may also be unable to identify who a particular voice belongs to. Hence, it is difficult for a conference call participant, or a party listening to a recording of a conference call, to determine which speakers are particularly important to pay attention to, and which speakers are less important.